The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) on Friday issued a security advisory flagging multiple vulnerabilities in several versions of the Android mobile operating system. The advisory comes nearly a month after the June 14 CERT-In security vulnerability note.
In the latest vulnerability note, CERT-In said it found 32 vulnerabilities, which it rated "high" on the severity scale in Android versions 10, 11, 12, and 12L. Android 12L is the OS that runs on tablets and foldable smartphones.
In the report, the cybersecurity agency — under the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology — said if exploited, these flaws could allow a malicious actor (hacker) to "gain elevated privileges, execute arbitrary code and gain access to sensitive information on the targeted system".
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In other words, a hacker can gain control of your device or steal sensitive information — such as financial data, card details or passwords — without you even knowing it.
The only fix, as per the CERT-In report, is to ensure your device is running the latest security patch applicable to the device, tablet or smartphone. Depending on the manufacturer, a device may be eligible for the May, June, or July update — it varies. Read on to see how you can update your device.
How to check and update your Android version:
Open settings on your smartphone/tablet/foldable. Here, you can find your device's Android version number, security update level, and Google Play system level.
Follow these steps:
1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Near the bottom, tap "About phone"->"Android version"
3. Find your "Android version," "Android security update", and "Build number"
4. Get the latest Android updates available for your device
5, When you get a notification, open it and tap the update action
If you cleared your notification or your device has been offline:
1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Near the bottom, tap "System" ->"System update".
3. You'll see your update status. Follow any steps on the screen.
Get security updates & Google Play system updates
Most system updates and security patches happen automatically and in the background, but if you want to check manually if an update is available:
1. Open your device’s Settings app.
2. Tap "Security".
3. Check for an "update":
•To check if a security update is available, tap "Google Security Checkup".
•To check if a Google Play system update is available, tap "Google Play System Update".
4. Follow any steps on the screen.
As mentioned earlier, each smartphone/device manufacturer has its own update schedule, so your device may not yet be eligible for the latest security update released this month on the Android Open Source Project. It is highly advised to wait for an official update from the manufacturer rather than sideloading the update, which comes with its own risks.
Also, the steps mentioned above are keeping in mind a generic Android device. While the steps remain the same, the exact name of the setting could vary by manufacturer.
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